The Subjective Experiences of Three Generations during the Greek Economic Crisis

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate how Greeks as individuals experience the ways society is changing and to understand the lived experiences of the Greek economic crisis, as an example of the global economic crisis. This study focuses on the ways three different generations experience the Greek crisis: the younger (20-30), the middle (30-40) and the older (40-55) by examining the different ways that lived experiences are revealed. It has been confirmed that the impact of the dramatic economic, political, historical and social transformations in Greece is twofold: there has been an undeniably negative and harmful effect on Greeks’ everyday lives as well as a re-prioritisation of ways of thinking, acting and behaving. The Greek case serves as an example of a society that is currently undergoing significant social, political and economic alterations reflected in the dramatic change in everyday living, thinking and acting. This study may provide an initial overview of the possible effect of social changes that individuals have to confront in their everyday lives due to the consequences of the economic depression.